Beyond black, white: Congregations gather in faith

• See service details at end of story.

In west Jackson, surrounded by aging shotgun houses, St. Luther Missionary Baptist Church looms like a beacon on Banks Street where it has been for 102 years.

Only a few blocks away, Calvary Baptist Church, once considered one of the largest churches in Mississippi, has stood on the corner of West Capitol Street since 1929.

At the 10 a.m. Sunday service on April 16, the two shall become one for one day when the congregations merge for their first joint Easter service in the name of unity, community and God.

“It was his idea,” says the Rev. Linda Smith, the first woman to head Calvary Baptist Church, referring to St. Luther Pastor Charles Polk Jr.

Polk succeeded his father, Charles Polk Sr., who had led St. Luther for 40 years until his retirement almost a year ago.

“God said let’s do this,” the younger Polk says. “So, we’re doing it.”

Smith explains that although their churches are culturally different — Calvary Baptist predominately white and St. Luther predominately African-American — they compromised when putting together their Easter service.

“Now, we know we’re not as strong as y’all. We can’t last as long,” Smith jokes.

Joining the camaraderie, the younger Polk adds: “They’re done in an hour, and we’re just getting warmed up.”

His wife, Jacquelyn Polk, fondly called “Mrs. Jackie” by members of their congregation, is assisting with the coordination of the program.

“It’s a combination of gospel and contemporary Christian music with scenes from Palm Sunday,” Jacquelyn Polk says. “It’s Matthew’s account of Christ’s last week — Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Last Supper and most certainly the crucifixion and resurrection.”

The two churches seem an unlikely pairing, but it is a relationship established between Smith and the elder Polk 18 years ago.

Bridging the gap

Smith was a missionary in Hong Kong when she was asked to return to Calvary Baptist to lead the church in several new ministries. She explains that in 1998 Calvary Baptist made a commitment not to move their church from West Capitol Street.

“But we felt like we couldn’t just rush into worship and rush home. We needed to minister where we were,” she says.

Smith and her church members began doing prayer walks through the streets of Jackson.

“A prayer walk is where you’re just walking the streets praying over the city, praying over the streets, praying over the houses, praying over the families, praying over the children,” Smith explains. “We would just stop and talk to people on their front porches and say, ‘Can we pray for y’all?’"

Initially, people were suspicious. “People would think we were working for the government because people hadn’t seen us walking the streets in a long time,” she says, laughing. “We soon developed friendships with our people as we got to know them and that was a part of getting to know our neighborhood.”

As a result, the Calvary Baptist Bible Clubs filled with children and families faster than they could anticipate. “It was a struggle because we grew really quickly, but we didn’t have enough transportation to get them all there,” she says.

One day, during a prayer walk down Dear Park Street, Smith spied two transportation vans at St. Luther. Unable to reach anyone by phone, she decided to pop up at the church to see the elder Polk.

“I asked if they would like to partner with us and have a Bible club site at St. Luther’s, and we could reach more people,” she says.

Polk immediately agreed. “I thought, ‘wow, that was so easy,’” Smith says.

The two churches would have 60 to 70 kids at both churches attending Bible study. “So, we were reaching a lot of kids — a lot of families,” Smith says. “That’s how we started the ministry.”

The Battle for Buffalo

Polk Jr.'s life was on a different trajectory then.

The Callaway High School graduate and his wife had spent the majority of their lives working for different divisions of Delphi Automotive. Their jobs had taken them to Ohio, Michigan, New York and back to Michigan. In between commuting and moving, they were also raising three children.

When Polk's wife was appointed general director of human resources for Delphi Thermal Systems in Buffalo, New York, he was less than thrilled.

“I was going to have to give up my career to do something there,” says Polk, who had since left Delphi for Blue Cross Blue Shield.

The idea of uprooting their children, who were in elementary, middle and high school, was also unappealing. “I offered to keep our three kids. I knew if I kept the kids, I was safe,” he quips.

Every weekend, the couple would alternate between trips to New York and Michigan. But the constant back and forth began to take a toll.

“She would come home, and the kids would say, ‘Dad, what’s for dinner?’ and she would start crying. And then we would go there and get ready to leave, and she would start crying, and I thought, ‘Oh, this is killing me,’" he says.

Unable to bear the separation any longer, Polk took a management job with Delphi in Buffalo, and the family was reunited after a year apart.

“I went into the ministry while in Buffalo,” he says. “You know hindsight is 20/20. So, God had to move me to that surrounding before I would listen and actually hear what he said. I would always make excuses and say, ‘I’m busy enough God.’”

Polk knew God was calling him to the ministry when he couldn’t sleep and “visions would come of me in the pulpit.”

Seeking confirmation, he asked God for a sign. “Then every time I would get this vision I would start crying no matter where I was. …  I almost call it a curse today.

“I can’t get into the pulpit without crying. I cry to this very day,” he says.

“The move to Buffalo wasn’t about my wife; it was always about me. So, I accepted the call to ministry and then later God moved us back to Michigan.”

From Hong Kong to Calvary 

Smith said God also took her out of her comfort zone to reveal his full purpose for her life.

Growing up in the capital city, Smith had attended Calvary Baptist since she was 6 weeks old.

“And so I have a very long history with this church,” she says in her soft-spoken voice. “I became a Christian when I was young, so I’ve always had a real love for God.”

Smith, who attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, says she received her call to the ministry at age 15.

While working as a youth minister at First Baptist in Canton, Smith says she experienced an unsettling feeling that “we were really good at taking care of ourselves” but what about others?

Her restlessness drove her to do something “pretty dangerous,” she says.

“I went on a couple medical mission trips to Honduras. If you’re really wondering if there is a world out there that needs Jesus, then you go on these trips,” she says.

For Smith, the mission trips convinced her God wanted her to go overseas.

“I knew I couldn’t learn another language. I was really close to my family. I’m single, so I would be going by myself. I thought I am the least likely candidate to be successful at this,” she says.

But, Smith believed in being obedient to God, and soon the International Missionary Board gave her an opportunity to go to Hong Kong. When she realized she would have to learn Cantonese she thought, “there has got to be a better place for me.”

Still, Smith went and landed in Hong Kong in 1991.

She loved it so much, she stayed for seven years.

For two years, she spent three hours a day learning Cantonese. In the afternoons, she would venture out to practice what she learned.

“I fell in love with the Chinese people. They matched my personality so well because they’re all about relationships,” she says.

While there, Smith lived and helped start a church in Tin Shui Wai — a city made from land out of the South China Sea.

“I felt like the church needed to be out in the world. I’m kind of an adventurous person so I thought: ‘This is awesome. God, you did know what you were doing,’” Smith laughs.

During a routine visit to Jackson, Smith says she was shocked at what she saw.

“Things were starting to deteriorate; houses were falling down, there was crime in the city, and the church was smaller — the congregation had shrunk,” she says.

Smith began to do the one thing she had always done — pray.

“I said, ‘Lord, I just can’t see how you can get glory in the death of this church. Lord, help us.’” 

Smith came back to Jackson and Calvary Baptist.

“I look back and see how my experiences in Hong Kong helped me to have the courage to walk on the streets of Jackson and knock on any door. I never was afraid. I’m still not afraid. I think I’m street smart. I’ve learned. But, I also believe God has the power to do anything and that helped me,” she says.

The Polks come to Jackson

Although Polk had begun fulfilling his call to minister in the Buffalo area, he and his family returned to Michigan where his wife became vice president of Delphi Thermal Systems Division and he returned to Blue Cross Blue Shield as director of supply and distribution. Both have since retired.

Polk became an assistant pastor for the Rev. Sterling Jones at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, who was a friend of his father. “He was ill and needed somebody,” he explains.

He served with Jones for almost nine years before his father began talking about retirement.

“I hated to leave, but my dad needed me there,” he says.

The elder Polk was approaching his 80th birthday, and St. Luther had yet to move into its new facility that had been under construction for some time. “He would say, ‘I’m going to preach a couple more years then I’m going to retire.’ I never believed him,” his son says.

The elder Polk had been a member of the gospel music group the Jackson Southernaires and was known as the “son of thunder” by all who heard him sing. Polk knew replacing his father would not be an easy task.

“My challenge is different because I’m following my dad. I’m pastoring people he baptized,” he explains.

Polk said that his dad never thought his daughter-in-law would be OK with moving to Jackson.

And she agrees. “I hadn’t ever thought we were going to live in the South. Our life had always been centered in the Midwest. Our children were there, and our grandchildren were there.”

Although she had reservations, Jacquelyn Polk says she did not want to stand in the way of God’s plan. She now sees the significant change of pace was necessary.

“I initially thought I would never adjust, but what I’ve found is that I needed a healing time because my father had just died a few months before we moved. It was also a time to get clarity on all that I’ve done to this point. The slowing down actually gave me time to catch my breath, which honestly, I hadn’t done in years."

What’s next?

Seated across from each other in the conference room of St. Luther, Smith and Polk Jr. appear to represent what happens when people from diverse backgrounds come together with a common goal.

Polk says he would like to reach out to the students at Jackson State University. The downtown campus sits across from St. Luther. “They drive past here, and they probably don’t even know we’re here,” he says.

Overall, the two churches plan to continue their mission.

“In every community, there are churches that can make a difference where they are," Smith says. "If every church can just minister in their community, we can change the heart of this state and change the lives of our people.”

Service

St. Luther Missionary Baptist Church and Calvary Baptist Church will hold a joint Easter service at 10 a.m. April 16 at St. Luther, 1040 Banks St.